Case set up suggestions

[jbombo34]

Mock set up of approx. size of the desk. Kind of my first realization of how big it will actually be. Long and skinny, just like me! lol



One of you mentioned to do a glass top on the CPU case. I did the rendering a long time ago but thought I would put it up since im back on track for getting this done.

 

[aigomorla]

did u finalize the setting yet?

Setup a shelf in the middle and try to lay the board down horizontally... instead of laying it down vertically like you have.
Also when making the shelf to hold the board, make a hole behind where the cpu socket is, so u dont need to do a full motherboard removal when replacing something like a heat sink.

A horizontal setup is superior then a vertical setup when it comes to cooling because the air pockets are easier to work out when the board is horizontal.

Also most of the time when design, the board is planned from a horizontal point instead of a vertical point.
The only reason why we vertical mount boards is because of space reasons, however i see a TON of real estate in your case.

Also a horizontal layout makes the system a lot easier to work with, because u can free pull and drop stuff, and not have to hold onto something before you release.

If your wondering what a horizontal mount is, just think of laying your board out on a desk and that's it.
Or think of how Server Rack's are.
Instead of it being required to hang off a side wall, it is being layed down gently on a desk.

It also makes u not have to worry about getting too large of a sink and causing physical torque or stress on the board.
Any Heat sink as long as it fit on your board would work, because u have no torque stress on a horizontal layout.
Heat sink efficiency is also increased, because again... you dont have the sink torquing on one side due to gravity on a horizontal layout.
You wouldn't even add stress on the pci-e slots either from monster gpu's on a horizontal layout.
The horizontal layout WINS over a vertical layout when you have as much room as you do.

 

[jbombo34]

I was thinking about a horizontal layout. Been work8ng on some sketches to fit the model and yes there is plenty of real estate for a horizontal positioning. All points are valid and have changed my mind quite quickly.

 

[jbombo34]

I've been scouring the net for something like this http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2131141&page=5. Motherboard tray. I emailed DD but haven't received and answer yet. Any suggestions for MB layout buffer in case?

 

[jbombo34]

I dismantled a previous build's case and salvaged a good I/O face as well as a good motherboard tray but I kind of want something a little spiffy for this build.

Here is a horizontal setup possibility for the CPU case.


And from the side view window. Left holes in the shelving to feed psu connectors and possibly the option in the future to run WC system from the bottom compartment. Where could I find some hole plugs that have the + in the middle to run wire through but not let air/dust get through? Research time.



Also have been pondering air flow, if I am to do WC then it really doesn't matter but if I were to do fans how should I set them up? obviously linear isn't a fair option here, I might be creating a vortex within my case.

 

[aigomorla]

you still would need some air going to the board unless ur watercooling that and the DDR3 ram.

What LC eq is fitting inside your case?

i might be able to help you out with a aesthically pleasing liquid layout since it seems u have excellent wood skills.

I also assume this is a corner piece... what is the front? its kinda confusing as the layout is going.

Can you tell me what is your front facing side.... what are the radiators you intend to use.. as well as the pump and reserviors..
I dont need blocks... as that doesnt matter in layout... but if i had that space and your wood skills... i can make you say OMG if you tell me your parts.

Dust filters... again... ur excellent with wood... impliment these guys somehow using wood holders... (they also come in 12x24 sizes in the paper air filter..)

Its household AC / Heater Vent Filters..... They are excellent for our needs.... if ur crazy enough, u could use high quality filters and make that case also a room air filter.

Use those at the intake... use fans on a negative pressure type system... All fans blowing out...
If your using a radiator... set up the radiators so they lay right in front of those filters, and its pulling air though them... or.. u can setup the radiators to push air outside the case.
In any case, your PC should stay virtually dust free if you design it correctly, and all the maintance u need to do is either air blow out the dust on the filter, wash the filter with water and dry, or just buy new filters at a hardware store.

 

[jbombo34]

Here is what I had to deal with. Every cut I made I had to use a ruler and measure both sides of the blade to the fence to make sure it was an accurate cut. You can see the clamp on the far end of the fence to hold it in place due to the fact that the blade was 1/8" closer to to the fence at the back of the blade versus the front. This made cutting extremely time consuming.



Finally finished all major straight line cuts. Got all of the lumber home now and into the basement. Ready to cut miter joints with router for the drawers and bevel cuts for the frame.

 

[jbombo34]

you still would need some air going to the board unless ur watercooling that and the DDR3 ram.

What LC eq is fitting inside your case?

i might be able to help you out with a aesthically pleasing liquid layout since it seems u have excellent wood skills.

I also assume this is a corner piece... what is the front? its kinda confusing as the layout is going.

Can you tell me what is your front facing side.... what are the radiators you intend to use.. as well as the pump and reserviors..
.

As for parts in the WC system I have yet to assemble a system. I'm kind of open game for whatever. I am currently waiting for a ASUS R9 280x DCII Top to come in so I am leaning towards a WC system.

The front of the case is completely unscathed as of now. Depending on the cooling system I put in I will ad faceplates etc to the case but it's a work in progress. I'm not going to cut any holes until I decide what parts I am to use. I am a complete newb when it comes to WC.

 

[aigomorla]

give me a couple of hours to think of something...

currently im flushed at work.

but i promise to get back to you soon on a layout.


Edit:

The left side of the case.. is it accessible or complete blocked off?
The side oposite to where the gpu is ... that small section where u labeled front...the wood in your diamond. How wide is it?

Is it at least 140mm wide so we could stack radiators along those 2 sides? Are they both equal in sides? (im thinking of using symmetry as your build if they are)
Is the floor slightly lifted? Can you fabricate some kind of filter holder on the floor?
This way u can have the rads push air out... have a air vent hole at the bottom, feed fresh air from bottom.. use negative pressure on fans to push air out..

All air would come though filter at bottom... and leave though the exhaust from the radiators.

Last question... do u need to have your pc accessible from the outside?
Example.. couldnt u tuck the board in the center... have a hole to feed all your cables inside to the outside.. and then bunch the cables outside the case via hole?

You would most likely need to use a USB hub to access your USB's, but u could hold a better symmetry on the build.
And in builds like this... Symmetry is what makes the people go from WOW... to OMFGWOW...

 

[jbombo34]

Here are dimensions of case and within case, approx with components. Just some side notes. Nothing is permanent. The shelf of which the MB sits on can be raised or lowered. HD trays and PSU can be either under or on top. The left side that has a solid panel can be changed up to fit whatever I want it to... as long as I can manage. Sky is the limit as far as creativity goes. Just whether or not it's in the budget.





Thanks for the compliment on the woodworking skills but I promise I am a novice. I am also a perfectionist lol. I appreciate the input and assistance.

 

[jbombo34]

The left side of the case.. is it accessible or complete blocked off?
The side oposite to where the gpu is ... that small section where u labeled front...the wood in your diamond. How wide is it? See my previous post with dimensions labeled

Is it at least 140mm wide so we could stack radiators along those 2 sides? Are they both equal in sides? (im thinking of using symmetry as your build if they are)
Is the floor slightly lifted? Can you fabricate some kind of filter holder on the floor? Are you saying to have the base of the Case up off the ground and have leg supports as apposed to the base being on the floor? If so then yes I can make that. And if that is the case I could make something that would hold your AC/Heater filter type object as the intake hole in the bottom. I would need to alter the case supports some but that isn't a problem. The wood is cut, not assembled. Just focusing on desk part right now as the case will be the time consumer and parts will be coming in 1 at a time.
This way u can have the rads push air out... have a air vent hole at the bottom, feed fresh air from bottom.. use negative pressure on fans to push air out..

All air would come though filter at bottom... and leave though the exhaust from the radiators.

Last question... do u need to have your pc accessible from the outside?
Example.. couldnt u tuck the board in the center... have a hole to feed all your cables inside to the outside.. and then bunch the cables outside the case via hole? I don't quite understand. So run the cables from PSU outside the case to bundle it nicely maybe even add a little compartment that housed said wires, then use minimum length necessary to connect to components via another hole in the case minimizing wire visual? I am going to make the side window removable so if I need to access the PC I can. Adding an enclosed compartment on the back of the case is not a big deal. I actually thought about running little half pipes concealing exposed wire when attaching components. Food for thought

You would most likely need to use a USB hub to access your USB's, but u could hold a better symmetry on the build.
And in builds like this... Symmetry is what makes the people go from WOW... to OMFGWOW...

Great ideas!

EDIT:
Here is what I came up with in a mock setup with a proposed filter bottom case. Is this what you were thinking of?


EDIT #2:
I keep messing around with ideas and they are starting to really add up but I can't render them fast enough in Sketchup. Take, expand, build, critique.





EDIT #3: Last One I promise
Another look...

 

[aigomorla]

very nice fixes..

1. The filter on the bottom.. id keep it standard size..
goto a hardware store and check out hvac air filters u use for home.
See if there is a size u can work with. im thinking possibly u could fit a 12x24 filter easily..
http://www.airfiltersdelivered.com/...-filter.html?gclid=CJqwy7_EsroCFel_Qgod1ncAUQ

These filters should last 3-4 months each without replacement... a pack of 4 would last you one year.... each filter should cost arround 6-9 dollars unless u want a high merv index one which can filter out allergy pollen even. The thing is goto a local hardware store and see what filters they have which are cheap, that u can work with.

2. The PSU goes internally... i would try to honestly mount it under the motherboard... and route your cables on that bottom row...
Only your cables will be coming outside. Hold your original design layout for everything else....
U dont want the PSU outside as it will look messy... unless u can somehow incorporate the desk with it.

3. The average radiator is 5-6 inches wide... 1-2inches thick.... and 16 inches long....
Those sides are perfect to house a radiator standing.
Now render 2 rads standing on those wall... thats where ur cooling will be located.

were gonna aim for something simular to that... radiator, then a reservior next to it.. in pairs on each of your 9x22 walls...
The reserviors have a 60mm diameter... ~2.5inch diameter in customary system.

Since its in pairs, it will be very visually pleasing... symmetrical builds tend to do that cuz symmetry tends to show balance... and well, we all love balance.
Now we think of loop planning....

(dude i wish i had your wood skills...)

 

[jbombo34]

Here is a render of possibly what you were talking about. Tell me what you think.








EDIT: And some more.... with tubing holes and signature. Could double the two "O's" in the signature as tubing holes as well.

 

[aigomorla]

now thats what i call a custom liquid cooling wood case design..

i recommend using lampton switchs...

and ur almost done!!

 

[jbombo34]

Is the airflow correct on my setup? Will the radiators pull enough to keep the case cool?

 

[aigomorla]

Is the airflow correct on my setup? Will the radiators pull enough to keep the case cool?

yes...

4 fans will most definitely pull enough air though that case.

 

[jbombo34]

yes...

4 fans will most definitely pull enough air though that case.

Could I get away with a single fan radiator?
Just wanting to cool the GPU and CPU, should I consider doing RAM as well? I don't want overkill but the look should be pretty appealing with the two rads there. Plus the 4 fans will act as a escape for the sealed case which is what I would like. I am going to see if I can't render wire run possibilities. Gotta go work on the desk as of now!

Thanks for the input bud!

 

[aigomorla]

no ram... u may do the board if u are thinking of scaling your video cards.

Watercooling has taken a very big revolution in the past 10 yrs its been active.

For example... when i first started, it was all CPU watercooling...
Today 2013, id say watercooling is a bigger benifit on GPU then CPU as u see load temp reductions of HALF.
Also allowing focused cooling on vregs, and memory directly on full cover blocks... you really extend the life of the card + give it a massive headroom in overclocking.

Meaning if ur titan or whatever gpu is loading at 80C on AIR... on water done correctly it should stay at 40C.

You're gonna run into voltage limitations on your gpu b4 heat limitations...


If your worried about maintance... u can get past a lot of hard stuff with the usage of quick disconnects.
Also since u have a hori layout... it wont be difficult for you to service your machine with quick disconnects.

And i helped u setup your case so far.. im not about to abandon you half way though... lol...

 

[smackababy]

If your worried about maintance... u can get past a lot of hard stuff with the usage of quick disconnects.
Also since u have a hori layout... it wont be difficult for you to service your machine with quick disconnects.

Not to derail the thread (because this could help the OP anyway!), do quick disconnects limit flow at all?

 

[aigomorla]

Not to derail the thread (because this could help the OP anyway!), do quick disconnects limit flow at all?

they do... but not on a level where one should be worried about if ur running only 2-4 on a loop.

And koolance has been on top of QuickDisconnects.. so u get very little loss in flow.

 

[jbombo34]

It's been a long week. End of month stuff at work and not getting enough sleep from spending time modding my work bench into a router table. Got some stuff done so here's a quick update.

Started and finished cutting out the swinging armrest/mouse pad tray. I also started to trim out the bottom floor of the CPU case and in the process of cutting I got a little laxed and allowed too much excess board to be hanging off the edge which causes a lot of vibration. This vibration caused the wood to kink as I was cutting and I bent the blade. It was not kind to the piece of wood as I was trying to remove the blade. As I have said before I am a very novice woodworker and am learning on the fly. Having a band/scroll saw would have been useful here but I made due with the jigsaw.









Moving forward I got all of my carbide tipped router bits in that I wanted to use for joining pieces together. I am shooting for minimal usage of metal in this desk. No screws, nails etc. Besides of course the drawer slides and hardware for drawers and armrest/mouse pad tray.

I have never used a router before and for my first go I used the absolute worst bit to learn on. A 45 degree miter joint bit that eats A LOT of wood. And when I say a lot I mean on several of my first passes I literally destroyed piece after piece. Slinging bits and shards of wood in every direction. My basement looked like a battleground. I got frustrated and quit for the evening. The next morning I went down again to give it a go and looked at my bit and noticed this:







I had demolished a brand new bit in a little under 10 minutes of use and only 3 passes. I have since played around with and tried other bits. I have slowed down the cutting and turned my work bench into a router table. Before the table was mounted on top of the bench and it at chest level. So for the last two night I have worked on making this:



I made a front depth fence as well to help keep the piece up against the bit as I was pushing through. I'm sure there are better methods but I just don't have the equipment to do things so easily. This actually ended up working really well. Here is a test piece.



And then my first cut on an actual piece then did the side supports. Had to finish for the night just because I am finally starting to get somewhere and I don't want to leave my day off on Sunday without anything to do. I am hoping the replacement miter bit will be here tomorrow so I can use it on the drawer joints.

Actual cuts on actual pieces of the desk finally.

 

[jbombo34]

Have all of the joints cut for the support pieces. Two of the sides glued and starting on the backside this morning. Got a little sloppy with one side and glued 3 pieces together at once and caused a little bow. Trying to work it out as of now.

 

[smackababy]

Great work so far!

This thread reinspired me to stop being so lazy and make my desk. I spent a few hours in SketchUp and figured out what I was doing. I am hoping to finalize my design tonight and start this weekend.

 

[aigomorla]

i wish case makers would make a case which would allow me to use a HVAC filter on it!!!

is that too much to ask? instead we have to use a micro mesh which doesnt work all the time as very small dust can still pass though them.

And our pc is moving air all the time... so WHY NOT MAKE a air filter with it anyhow and kill 2 birds with 1 stone, while having a super clean PC..

oh why oh why???
why cant a case vendor just listen to what people what... :\


Hence why i recommended it to the OP.
The HVAC air filters on inlet will keep his PC super clean... as it does also trap micro dust.
And it will also filter his air in his room, cuz the PC does move air ALL THE TIME.

 

[jbombo34]

Thanks for the comps!

I am using an HVAC filter just for you. Finding the right size....well I think I might have to use your link that you gave. I have been to 4 different stores so far and notta has one the size I need.

Worked on the base supports and sanding what I had glued yesterday. It turned out really well, I was pleasantly surprised. Going to have to start testing some stains soon or I will be done before you know it.

Oh, I got my replacement bit in today. Didn't get to use it but at least I am a go when I need it.